Mutants: Normal

7-3: Rough landing

The first thing Zero experienced was falling, his hand wrenched from Fang's as he fell past the jet. The wind around him was so loud, his midair tumble felt both muted and deafening. Zero opened his mouth to scream but the next thing he knew, Fang was holding him up, his hands hooked under his arms as Zero dangled precariously in the air.

Zero's heart thudded loudly in his chest. "Catch me faster next time," he wheezed, letting out short gasps in between words.

Fang didn't comment. Instead, he beat his wings and rose higher in the air, above the clouds. Normally, it would be impossible to survive such high-altitude conditions, but Zero had confidence their bodies were built differently. The speed and altitude they were travelling at would harm them in the long run, but it was survivable. The chilly air made Zero feel insanely cold even in his gear, but Fang appeared unaffected by the negative thirty temperature as he tightened his grip. As they continued their ascent, Zero realized just how far the jet had fallen and felt sick. Would Pierre and Ranulf be okay? What about Shuigu and Hua?

The first part of their journey through the sky passed in silence. After a bit, Fang, realizing they would no longer be sucked into the vortex of air created by the plane, descend once again towards the clouds.

"Do you think the others'll be alright?" Zero asked, his voice raspy from the strong wind.

"Most likely." Fang's terse reply made Zero feel guilty about asking. It was obvious that carrying Zero's weight while manning a controlled descent in the frigid air was taxing. Fang's wings were beating quickly as he made adjustments to steady their trajectory.

Suddenly, both boys heard a muffled boom coming from below the clouds. Zero hoped that the source of the noise wasn't what he thought it was. "...Check it out."

Fang gave a glance downward, his pupils dilating as he activated his hawk sight. His eyes widened in surprise at whatever he saw, and he gave an awkward jerk that almost threw the two of them off balance. Zero let out a yelp; Fang quickly recovered a steadier position.

"What?" Even though Zero dreaded the answer, he needed to know. "Tell me!"

"The jet... There's been an explosion. The plane's up in flames." Fang's voice was strained.

Zero shook his head, not daring to believe him. But, looking up, he saw the veins popping in Fang's neck, confirming the mutant's words were no joke. "It can't be... Did you see any sign of Ranulf or Shuigu or any of the others?"

Fang shook his head. "But it's not like they have to escape an explosion to survive. They justed needed to escape the jet—"

"Hah! We barely escaped the jet! If they're gone, let's just go home—"

"Zero, we've been assigned a mission. Haiwan—"

"Screw Haiwan! Or actually, let's just land and search for them—we can do that, right Fang? Let's do that," Zero blabbed, forcing himself not to look down. They were now underneath the clouds, but he didn't want to look at the explosion debris in the sky. So, he just continued staring at Fang's tense neck. "Can we, Fang?" Escape and closure. Zero needed a weird balance of these two to cope.

"We're going to Haiwan," Fang said stiffly; his way of coping was to bury himself in his work. "Ranulf and Pierre will be there to meet us."

"... Sure, they will." Zero felt utterly defeated by a combination of cold bitterness above the clouds and a destroyed spirit beneath them. Ranulf and Pierre were likely dead. Would he be dying on this mission as well? He felt lost without Ranulf by his side. Ranulf had given him a name, a reason to live. Even if he had committed crimes in Jingcheng, Zero had always thought he would forgive his mentor after he atoned.